Chrontel chip eases HDMI-CEC integration

Universal and centralized remote control of HT gear has long been the promise of HDMI-CEC, but the efforts of some CE manufacturers aside, all the flavors of HDMI-CEC have spoiled the party for everyone. Between talk of a unified HDMI-CEC standard and off-the-shelf solutions like Chrontel's CH7323 chip, we're hoping for a more standard, um, standard. The chip is a HDMI 1.3a-compliant, single-component solution that manufacturers can use alongside HDMI transmitter silicon to bring HDMI-CEC (even vendor-specific commands) to devices, whether the device operates as a "master" or "slave" in the control chain. We're not expecting full HDMI-CEC to explode on the scene overnight, but we'll take these baby steps for now.